Dealing with picky eaters

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From the course by Stanford University

Child Nutrition and Cooking

4592 ratings

Stanford University

Child Nutrition and Cooking

4592 ratings

Eating patterns that begin in childhood affect health and well-being across the lifespan. The culture of eating has changed significantly in recent decades, especially in parts of the world where processed foods dominate our dietary intake. This course examines contemporary child nutrition and the impact of the individual decisions made by each family. The health risks associated with obesity in childhood are also discussed. Participants will learn what constitutes a healthy diet for children and adults and how to prepare simple, delicious foods aimed at inspiring a lifelong celebration of easy home-cooked meals. This course will help prepare participants to be the leading health providers, teachers and parents of the present and future.The text and other material in this course may include the opinion of the specific instructor and are not statements of advice, endorsement, opinion, or information of Stanford University.

From the lesson

From Supermarket to Dinner Table to School

Tricks for navigating the supermarket and shop for vegetables. Why the family meal is about more than just food; how to pack a quick, healthy lunch for a child and why this is so important; how to shop for fruits and vegetables (and teach children to love them); making over our children's favorite foods, and more healthy treats.

The family meal3:37

Dealing with picky eaters3:53

Meet the Instructors

Maya Adam, MD
Lecturer
Stanford School of Medicine

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Most parents that I meet have at some point or other, experienced a situation in

which their child refuses to eat something that the parent wants the child to eat.

My children do this to me on a regular basis and that's probably why the

term picky eater is used commonly especially here in the United States.

And there are a lot of theories about why children

refuse certain foods.

Some people think that in our culture, the parents

are to blame, that we don't expose our kids to

a wide enough variety of foods as babies, so

they resist new or unfamiliar foods, later in their childhood.

Other people believe that some children have a heightened

sensitivity to the flavors and textures of certain foods.

And then, there's the theory that children may

have different nutrient needs at different stages of

growth, so they may crave a certain type

of food and reject another during those periods.

I think the bottom line is this.

No parent tries to raise a picky eater, and nobody enjoys a power struggle at

the table, when there's a battle over food and a child is refusing to taste or

eat something that the parent wants them to eat.

In general, eating should be stress free, whenever possible.

So here are some tips for overcoming the picky eater syndrome.

Firstly, the more children feel that they're involved in either choosing or

helping to cook a meal, the more likely they'll be to eat it.

So if you can,

take your children to a Farmer's Market or the vegetable section of a

grocery store, and ask them what they feel like having for dinner that night.

When kids see adults coming together around healthy foods like they do

at a market, they'll often be more willing to try new things.

Also, at places like the market, where most

of the choices are healthy ones, you can't go

wrong letting them have the power to make that decision.

Secondly, as much as possible, try and

involve your children in the cooking process.

let little ones mix things in a bowl, or add fruit to make their own smoothie.

Older children can actually help prep vegetables or

mash things like potatoes, or bananas, or avocados.

Even letting children assemble their own meal, letting them make their own yogurt

parfait in the morning, for example, or make a fruit face with their berries.

This gives them a sense of control that

can help them to be more adventurous eaters.

Another helpful step you can take, is to surround

picky eaters with good role models as much as possible.

If children see us, their parents,

or their brothers and sisters, or other children their age eating healthy

foods, then they're going to be much more likely to try some too.

But in general mealtimes should be kept fun and light.

If you're worried about what your child is eating,

try not to bring that worry to the table.

A wise mother once said it's our job to provide

them with a variety of healthy options, and it's their job

to decide what and how much they want to eat.

[MUSIC]

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